Module 3: Subjectivism in Ethics

1. In how many countries is gay sex illegal? 2. In how many countries is homosexuality punishable by death?

1. 72 2. 8

Arguments against Homosexuality

- "dangerous perverts" - "unnatural" - the Bible condemns it

If ethics has no __1__ then morality is just __2__

- 1 objective basis - 2 opinion right and wrong would just be an illusion

2001 - what percent of Americans considered gay relations to be morally acceptable and wrong

- 40% = acceptable - 53% = wrong

2017 - what percent of Americans considered gay relations to be morally acceptable and wrong

- 63% = acceptable - 33% = wrong

Simple Subjectivism

- ATTITUDES - morally good or bad = one approves or disapproves of something "x is morally acceptable" , "x is right" , "x is good" , "x ought to be done" = "I (the speaker) approve of x"

Emotivism

- EXPRESSING ONES OWN FEELINGS - does not view moral assertions are either true or false - reports "I (the speaker) approve of x" - expresses "hurrah for x" (does not express my feelings about x) - moral statements are essentially commands, and not all fact stating - moral claims are simply expressions of attitudes; not true and false statements - honesty is good = yay, honesty

Objections to the "No Proof Argument"

- Inappropriate standard of proof i.e. ethics is not science - Science "proofs" relies on observation - Ethical "proofs" rely on reason

The Error Theory

- John L. Mackie - acknowledges that people are at least trying to say true things when they talk about ethics - a positive claim about value is made (claims that moral truth is on their side) yet no truth exists

Nihilism

- at the heart of Ethical Subjectivism - believe values are not real - people have various moral beliefs but nothing is really good or bad, right or wrong

Advantages of Emotivism

- avoids disagreement by saying that moral language is used for persuading people to take courses of action - avoids infallibility because claims are not true and false to begin with (emotive claims)

Problems with Emotivism

- cannot account for good and bad reasoning in ethics - if moral statements are commands intended to change the attitude/behavior of another, then any reason given that successfully changes someone's attitude is morally appropriate

John L. Mackie

- created the error theory - believed there are no "facts" in ethics, that no one is ever "right" or "wrong" - saw that people believed they were right or trying to state objective truths

Catholic Church View on Gay Marriage

- gay sex is wrong - says gays: do not choose to be gay, must be accepted, homosexual acts are disordered, under no circumstance can they be approved, must resist their desires

Support for Same Sex Relations

- gays are pursuing the life that makes them happy - satisfying their sexual needs - pursuing who they love - telling a gay to not act on their desires is wishing them unhappiness

Why is Ethical Subjectivism appealing?

- many people feel they must be skeptical about values if they are to maintain a proper respect for science

Arguments against Homosexuality: "Dangerous Perverts"

- many say gays are likely to molest children - exploits this fear in parents - NOT JUSTIFIED : stereotypical, not any more likely than a straight person to molest children

The universe is only five minutes old theory is compared to what?

- nihilism and ethical subjectivism - hard to refute, yet no one believes this

Problems with Simple Subjectivism

- no one is infallible - there cannot be moral disagreement (though in fact there is disagreement about moral issues)

What is a Proof in Ethics?

- requires good reason and that reason is explainable - requires that there is not good reason for a contrary argument

Advantages of Simple Subjectivism

- still deals with truth - everyone gets what they want - no disagreement is necessary (one person's reasons do not affect another because they are talking about approval)

Ethical Subjectivism does not:

- tell us how we ought to live - tell us what specific actions are right or wrong

Simple Subjectivism states __1__ about a persons __2__

1 facts 2 attitude

Constructing sound __1__ is part of philosophy, but __2__ is left up to psychologists, politicians, and advertisers

1 proofs 2 persuasion

Problems with Simple Subjectivism: Objection from Complete Agreement

1. If any two moral claims disagree, then they are contrary 2. If any two moral claims are contrary, then they cannot both be true together 3. So, if any two moral claims disagree, then they cannot both be true together 4. If someone makes a moral claim, then that person is claiming that he or she either approves or disapproves of the claim 5. If a person is claiming that he or she either approves or disapproves of the claim, then that claim can be true with any other moral claim 6. If someone makes a moral claim, then that claim can be true with any other moral claim 7. Person A claims "X is moral" 8. Person B claims "X is immoral" 9. Person A's claim can be true with Person B's claim. 10. So, Person A and Person B do not disagree 11. People do disagree when making moral claims 12. People do not disagree and people do disagree. 13. Thus, it is false that if someone makes a moral claim, that that person is claiming that he or she approves or disapproves of the claim **Everyone does not always agree

Problems with Simple Subjectivism: Objection from Infallibility

1. If someone makes a moral claim, then that person is claiming that he or she either approves or disapproves of a moral claim 2. If someone is claiming that he or she either approves or disapproves of a moral claim, then that person's claim cannot be false 3. So, if someone makes a moral claim, then that person's claim cannot be false 4. Person A claims "X is moral" 5. Person A's claim that "X is moral" cannot be false 6. "X is moral" can be false 7. Person A's claim that "X is moral" cannot be false, and "X is moral" is false 8. Thus it is false, that if someone makes a moral claim, then that person is claiming that he or she either approves or disapproves of a moral claim

Problems with Emotivism: Objection from Reason

1. If someone makes a moral claim, then the claim is about guiding behavior and is rational 2. If a claim about guiding behavior is rational, then the claim must be evaluable by logic 3. If the claim is evaluable by logic, then the claim has to be either true or false 4. So, if someone makes a moral claim, then the claim has to be either true or false 5. It is false that emotive claims about attitude are either true or false

"No Proof Argument"

1. If there were any such things as objective truths in ethics, we should be able to prove that some moral opinions are true and others are false 2. But in fact, we cannot prove which moral opinions are true and which are false 3. Therefore, there is no such thing as an objective truth in ethics

1. Who studied effects of same sex parents on children between 1986 and 1992? 2. What were their findings?

1. US National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study 2. kids with same sex parents were doing significantly better than their peers who grew up in traditional homes (did better socially, academically, and behaviorally)

According to Emotivism, moral language is used

1. as a means of influencing people behavior 2. express attitudes

Disagreement in Emotivism comes in two forms:

1. disagreement in belief 2. disagreement in attitude

1. When did professional philosophy take a Linguistic Turn? 2. How long did it last?

1. end of the 19th century 2. ~1970

Arguments against Homosexuality: "Unnatural"

1. few people possess (most people are not gay so it would be unnatural, but so would other qualities such as being left-handed; FAILS to condemn) 2. wrong to use one's body parts for anything other than their natural purposes (genitals serve the purpose of making babies; gay sex does not produce babies so it is unnatural); FAILS to condemn because many other acts such as masturbation or oral sex are not condemned 3. contrary to how things ought to be (homosexuality is wrong because it is wrong... FAILS because it does not provide a reason to condemn)

1. When was Emotivism popular? 2. Largely due to who?

1. mid-20th century 2. the American philosopher Charles L. Stevenson

Police in the Russian Republic of Chechnya rounded up and tortured who

100 gay men (murdering 3)

How much did the suicide rate for gay teens decrease after same sex marriage was legalized?

14%

When was same sex marriage ruled legal by the Supreme Court?

2015

Young LGBTs are __ times more likely than their peers to have recently attempted suicide (2015)

6

Examples of proof for a moral matter

A student says that a test was unfair. His reasoning was that the test covered a lot of trivial material while ignoring what the teacher had stressed. The test also covered material that was not in the readings or class discussions. On top of that, the test was so long no one was able to finish. In return, the teacher has no defense to offer - Jones is a bad man: liar, cheater, and murderer - Dr Smith is irresponsible: doesn't listen to other doctors, bases diagnoses on superficial findings, drinks before major surgeries - Joe is immoral - conceals defect, pressures customers to pay too much, misleading ads

Disagreement in Attitude Example

I am rooting for the Atlanta Braves baseball team to win, and you are rooting for them to lose. (Beliefs are not in conflict, but desires are.)

Disagreement in Belief Example

I believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President John F. Kennedy, and you believe that Oswald was part of a conspiracy.

Emotivism has the virtue of what?

Identifying some of the main functions of moral language

Simple Subjectivism Example

Matt Foreman believes being gay is morally acceptable. = I, Matt Foreman, do not disapprove of being gay. Mike Pence believes being gay is morally wrong. = I, Mike Pence, disapprove of being gay. **Both agree that the other approves or does not approve of being gay. Therefore, there is no disagreement between them. (BUT there is disagreement hence why Simple Subjectivism is false)

What member of Congress spoke out against gay marriage? Why?

Mike Pence - called traditional marriage "the backbone of our society" - believed that the deterioration of marriage and family would lead to societal collapse

Objective Basis for Ethics

Moral truths are matters of reason; a moral judgement is true if it is backed by better reasons than the alternatives

Example of when Nihilism and Ethical Subjectivism do not seem plausible

Nazis killing Jews (You may believe one thing, but Hitler believes another and Hitlers opinion is just as good as yours)

Basic Idea Behind Ethical Subjectivism

People have different opinions, but where morality is concerned there are no "facts" and no one is "right." People just feel differently about things, and thats all there is to it - moral opinions are based on feelings and nothing more

Example of a place intolerant of gays

Russia - people cannot even speak of homosexuality in public

Proofs in Ethics

Subjectivism and Emotivism are troubling because they seem to imply that reason is not an important element of morality

Moral theories are primarily about what?

VALUE not language

Arguments against Homosexuality: The Bible

When one looks at other things (besides homosexuality) the Bible does not appear to be a reliable guide to morality. Bible is not always right. Therefore, we cannot conclude that homosexuality is immoral just because the Bible says so. FUNNY how you only cited verses from the old testament. Things changed after Jesus came and lived a life for us and died to save us from our sins. This made many of the laws in the old testament mute (aka many of the ones you cited).

Summary of Simple Subjectivism Argument

When one person says "X is morally acceptable" and someone else says "X is morally unacceptable", they are disagreeing, but Simple Subjectivism says they are not. Therefore, Simple Subjectivism is wrong because it is flawed.

What is still not guaranteed for same sex couples?

adoption

Moral disagreement, according to Stevenson, is disagreement in what?

attitude

Emotivism falls short where?

by denying that moral language is fact stating

Subjectivists case is strongest when applied to:

difficult issues (ex. abortion)

Nihilism and Ethical Subjectivism may be plausible if only applied to ...

difficult or controversial moral issues ex. abortion

Mike Pence religion

evangelical Christian

There are sentences whose purpose is not to state facts (declarative) or influence behavior (commands) but instead to ...

express the speakers attitude

According to Emotivism, moral language is not what?

fact stating (used to convey information)

Proving a hypothesis in Ethics involves

giving reasons analyzing argument setting out and justifying principles

What is and is not a good guide for action?

good - morality bad - approval

Gays in America are more susceptible to what than any other minority

hate crimes ex. 2016 massacre in Orlando (49 gays killed at a gay nightclub)

Ethical Subjectivism says what about Abortion

not a fact that this is morally acceptable or morally wrong - Pro-Life say it is murder = merely expressing outrage - Pro-Choice say women have the right to choose = merely telling people how they feel

How many abortions are performed each year in the US?

over half a million

Gay people seek what at work

legal protection - no federal law forbids firing someone on the basic of sexual orientation - legal in 28 states to fire someone for being gay (or straight)

Objective values is like what? Why?

like ghosts or witches science has not discovered them

Simple Subjectivism cannot account for what?

moral disagreement

What did Hume say about Ethical Subjectivism?

morality is a matter of "sentiment" rather than "reason"

What does "linguistic turn" mean?

philosophers began to work almost exclusively on questions about language and meaning

Current law forbids employers with 15 or more employees from firing people on the basis of

sex race color national origin religion

Drawbacks to being gay in America = ?

social

The Republican Party for decades has opposed what?

the gay rights movement

Ethical Subjectivism

the view that our moral opinions are based on our feeling and nothing more - a meta-ethical theory (focuses on what morality itself is) - "different strokes for different folds" - ethical judgements are nothing more than my personal preference

What did Mackie say about values?

they are not part of the "fabric of the world"

Disagreement in Belief

we believe different things

Disagreement in Attitude

we want different outcomes (attitudes may be different when our beliefs are not)